STUFFED KARELA

‘Gross’ is what came to my mind everytime I used to hear bitter gourd(karela) and I am sure many can relate.

The bitter astringent taste takes some getting used to but it is full of fibres, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and has high water content. In simple words- it is a treasure of health. It is very effective in weight loss, reducing blood sugar and improves immunity.

Needless to say, the kids dislike it with a passion. And not all adults like it either. It’s the elderly, battling diabetes and other age related health disorders, who consume it readily. Often on my morning walks, I see them drinking karela juice at the juice stalls.

Bitter gourd is abundantly produced in summers and monsoons. It is one of those vegetables which is not grown with the help of hormone and chemicals and is almost free from pesticides. In other words it’s organic (mostly).

Karela or bitter melon vine (yes it’s a creeper) creeps on the rooftop of houses and grows pretty easily. It doesn’t need much care or attention making it super easy and convenient to grow.

In today’s day and age when extensive pesticide usage is so popular among farmers, this vegetable is very beneficial as it grows quite well without the aid of chemicals. Plus it saves a lot of space and can be grown without much effort in both rural and urban areas.,

Bitter gourd originated in India. It is used in Asian,African countries and South America. It is known as bitter melon in Australia.

Personally, I wasn’t very fond of bittergourd myself but keeping in mind it’s benefits, I made stuffed karela with spices. I swear my children lickedplates clean! It goes very well with roti or paratha.